Fluid mixing device



Dec. 29, 1953 E. P. AGHNIDES FLUID MIXING DEVICE Filed April 21, 1949 n A A 5 I N VEN TOR.

Attorney 122i 2 was 4 9 l Patented Dec. 29, A1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEl FLUID MIXING DEVICE Elie P. Aghnides, New York, N. Y.

Application April 21, 1949, Serial No. 88,797

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to fluid mixing devices and more particularly to an improved device for producing a stream of liquid containing air bubbles throughout the stream. A device constructed in accordance with this invention, when applied to a conventional water faucet, provides a bubbly stream of water which is soft and light to the touch and which possesses numerous advantages not present in a plain water jet or in a sprayed water jet.

The present invention is an improvement on the devices shown in my Patent 2,210,846, dated August 6, 1940, Patent 2,316,832, dated April 20, 1943, and application Serial No. 63,110, led December 2, 1948, now Patent No. 2,633,343 of March 31, 1953.

It is an important object of the present inven tion to provide an improved unit for mixing air with liquid to produce a bubbly stream.

It is another object of this invention to provide a simple and economical mixing device having a minimum number of parts and replaceable at low cost.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mixing device which consists of a single molded body member adapted to hold jet-forming and mixing members in proper position therein.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mixing device having a body member which may be molded from. resilient material in a single molding operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of the uid mixing device of this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevational view in section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2, and showing the mixing device applied to the discharge end of a liquid supply conduit.

Figure 5 is an elevational view in section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on line Ii-f-Ii of Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is an elevational view in section of a modified form of iiuid mixing device.

Figure 8a is an elevational view in section of a modied form of the faucet engaging portion of a fluid mixing device.

Figure 9 is an elevational view of a part of a fluid mixing device showing a modified form of jet-forming means and air inlet orifices.

Referring now to the drawings for the purposes of illustration, the iiuid mixing device includes a body member indicated by the numeral I5. The member I5 is generally tubular in shape and may be provided with longitudinally extending grooves IB in an upper portion of the exterior surface. The lower end of the member I5 may be tapered to the discharge outlet I1. The upper end of member I5 is provided with an inturned iexible neck portion I8 which may be provided with a restricted oriice I9 at its inner end. As shown in Figure 4, the neck portion I8 is adapted to closely engage the outer surface of the end of a conduit 20. The conduit 20 may be the discharge end of a conventional water faucet or the like. Fluid pressure in the space 2I between the neck portion I8 and the outer portion 22 of the body member I5 serves to cause the neck I9 to iirmly grip the conduit 20 to prevent the device from slipping off the conduit during operation. Integral webs 23 may be provided between the outer portion ,22 and the upper portion of neck I8 as shown in Figure 4.

The inner chamber of the body member I5 is y provided with an annular seat or shoulder 2S to receive the periphery of the perforated diaphragm or disc 21. The diaphragm 2'I is held against the seat 26 by means of ribs 28 projecting from the inner surface of the upper portion of member I5, the lower ends of the ribs engaging portions -of the periphery of the disc 21. The perforated diaphragm or disc 21 is spaced downstream from the orifice I9, and serves to divide the uid iiow into a plurality of relatively high velocity smallv diameter jets directed toward the mixing means hereinafter described. The longitudinal grooves I6 in the outer surface of member I5 open downwardly into passageways 30 which extend downwardly into central chamber 3| of the body member I5 downstream of the perforated diaphragm i 21. These passageways 30 are best illustrated in Figure 5. The mixing' means preferably includes three perforated diaphragms or screens 32 held in a rim 33, the latter being seated on and held against a shoulder or seat 34 formed in the member I5. The diaphragms or screens 32 may, for example, be formed of line-mesh woven wire screens, such as disclosed in my copending application. The diaphragm assembly is held against the seat 34 by portions 35 of the member I5 between the passageways 30. The perforated diaphragm 21 and the perforated diaphragms 32 may, however, be formed of any suitable metal or plastic material. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the outer surface of the lower portion of body member I5 may be provided with grooves 36 in alinement with the grooves I6 to improve the external appearance of the device.

The provision of a longitudinally grooved body member as illustrated in Figures 1-7 inclusive is a preferred embodiment of this invention, but it is to be understood that similar advantages may be secured by forming the upper outer surface of body member I5 cylindrical and having longitudinal air passageways extending downward therethrough to the passageways 38. It is also to be understood that the upper outer portion of the bcdy member may be of smaller diameter above the passageways 30 than the diameter of the body portion below the inlet of passageways 30, so that the air inlet passageways may be formed during the molding of the body member I5 without any grooves I5.

In the modiiied construction illustrated in Figure 9, body member I5 is provided with a seat or shoulder 40 to receive a pair of perforated upstream diaphragms 4I and 42 suitably spaced from each other. In this form of the devicey the neck portion I8 need not be provided with a restricted orice or orices at its lower end. Air inlet passagevvays 5I) are provided extending inward and upwards of the lower portion of body member I5 in lieu of the inlet grooves iand passageways 3|) of the Figure 5 embodiment. Also illustrated is a web 5I connecting the outer part of body member I5 to the inturned neck I8 at one portion of the periphery of the neck I8. It is to be understood that the use of one connecting web is a modification of the construction shown in Figures 4 and 6 wherein three webs 23 are provided. Likewise, the passageways 58 may be formed as grooves in the surface of member i5 similar to the grooves shown in Figures 1-6 inclusive.

The construction shown in Figure 8 includes a one-piece molded body member 45 having a threaded insert 46 secured in the upper portion thereof for attachment to the end of a conduit or tap which is externally threaded. The body member 45 is provided with radial air inlet passageways 48. The member 45 is provided with at least one perforated diaphragm 49 upstream of the air inlets, and is provided with a plurality of perforated diaphragms 47 downstream of the air inlets. In this form of the device, the passageways 48 may be replaced by grooves and passageways as shown in Figures 1 to 6. The faucet engaging upper portion of the body member 45 may be provided with a threaded insert 46 as shown in Figure 8, or with a grooved gripping inner surface 52, the latter being illustrated in Figure 8a.

In the mixing devices shown and described herein, the body members I5 and 45 are preferably formed in one piece by molding material such as rubber. The provision of grooves I 5 on the upper exterior surface of the body member or of passageways 58 facilitates the formation of the air inlet passageways by a simple and economical mold construction. The passageways 48 may be formed by a punching operation. Since the body of the device may be easily made in one piece, the devices may be discarded and replaced by new devices if the diaphragme become clogged or damaged by extensive use. The one-piece body also discourages a user from disassembling the device and reassembling the parts improperly. The onepiece body construction also avoids the falling or blowing apart of mxing devices having multipart molded bodies. It is, therefore, obvious that mixing devices made in accordance with this invention, and properly assembled by the manufacturer, will remain in proper working order until replacement by a complete new unit is required.

This invention includes numerous variations and modications in the embodiments shown and described which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claim.

I'claim:

A device for producing a stream of liquid containing bubbles therein comprising in combination: a resilient one-piece molded body member forattachment to the discharge end of a conduit adapted to deliverliquid under pressure, said body member defining a chamber having a dise charge outlet at the end of said chamber, the outer surface of said body member having a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending along a portion thereof, a perforate diaphragm positioned in said chamber, and a perforate screen positioned in said chamber and held in spaced relationship downstream from said diaphragm, said body member having air inlet passageways extending from the ends of said surface grooves into said chamber between said diaphragm and said screen for conducting air into said chamber.

ELIE P. AGHNIDES.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,457,895 Campanella June 5, 1923 2,210,846 Aghnides Aug. 6, 1940 2,316,832 Aghnides Apr. 20, 1943 2,510,395 Goodrie 1 June 6, 1950 

